Mini Cadillac Tail Light Conversion on a Nissan Hardbody - Mini Caddys

Both the long, straight tails of the '89-'93 Cadillac Deville and the rounder, newer '94-'99 tails have been the donor taillights of choice for numerous mini-truck owners for some time now. The saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," but CanDo Specialties is here to put a new spin on the old Caddy taillights that have made their mark on the mini-truckin' crowd.

CanDo developed a new Mini Caddy Taillight Kit that measures only 12 inches tall, 2.5 inches wide, and 1 inch deep. The company built the kit with the '94 Deville light in mind, but matched the outer curve to the curve of a '94-and-newer S-10 bed side. The kit comes complete with steel mounting buckets, aluminum light buckets with LED strips, laser-cut stainless bezels, red or clear lenses, three-wire taillight modules, wire taps, and stainless-steel hex screws. With all the necessary hardware, it really makes the kit easy on a do-it-yourself installer.

All you'll need is your trusty air saw, grinder, and welder, and in no time you'll be braking in style. Because this Mini Caddy Taillight Kit is extremely user-friendly, we decided to take it upon ourselves to install the new kit on our poor neglected Nissan Hardbody project that went to the Mini Truckin' project graveyard after the El Switcheroo dash swap and 'bag stories (July '03, Aug. '03, Sept '03, Nov. '03, and Dec. '03). We played the usual pranks and put stickers in hard-to-find places, wrote rude comments in the layers of dust (such as "Finish Me, Please"), and then finally got to work. Follow along as we give C.P.R. (Caddy Project Renovation) to a long-forgotten MT project. For more information, contact the companies listed in the source box.

1.The CanDo kit includes:...        read full caption 1.The CanDo kit includes: two aluminum light buckets with LED strips, two laser-cut stainless bezels, two steel mounting buckets, two red or clear lenses, two three-wire taillight modules, six wire taps, and four stainless-steel hex screws.	2.To start off any custom...        read full caption 2.To start off any custom taillight installation the stock taillights need to be removed and shaved using a steel taillight filler.	3.To ensure the lights are...        read full caption 3.To ensure the lights are mounted straight and are equally spaced, a top line is measured and taped off.
4.Next, the bucket is aligned...        read full caption 4.Next, the bucket is aligned and traced onto the filled location.	5.The buckets are double-checked...        read full caption 5.The buckets are double-checked for equal measurements, side-to-side and top-to-bottom.	6.After triple-checking the...        read full caption 6.After triple-checking the accuracy and placement of each bucket, the pattern is cut out.
7.With both pieces removed,...        read full caption 7.With both pieces removed, the edges are filed smooth.	8.The buckets are test-fit...        read full caption 8.The buckets are test-fit to guarantee a smooth, snug fit around the outside edge. Careful: Make sure all the sharp edges are removed, because those metal splinters are nasty.	9.Once the buckets are test-fit...        read full caption 9.Once the buckets are test-fit and all clearance issues are taken care of, each bucket is set up and measured to make sure it's level.
10.After the buckets are tacked...        read full caption 10.After the buckets are tacked in place, the excess is cut away, leaving only enough to finish welding the rest of the bucket up.	11.With the excess out of...        read full caption 11.With the excess out of the way, the rest of the bucket is carefully welded in place so that we don't warp the taillight filler and bucket itself.	12.Here's a quick glance at...        read full caption 12.Here's a quick glance at the bucket welded in before we went to town on it with the grinder.
13.The brake and turn signal...        read full caption 13.The brake and turn signal wires are metered and then properly connected using the provided wire taps.	14.Next, the wire harness...        read full caption 14.Next, the wire harness provided is grounded to the inside of the bucket.	15.The wires are fed behind...        read full caption 15.The wires are fed behind the taillight and the lens and stainless bezel are ready to be bolted in.
16.With a final twist of the...        read full caption 16.With a final twist of the screwdriver, the new Mini Caddys are ready to be tested out.	17.Not bad, not bad at all....        read full caption 17.Not bad, not bad at all. Now only if we can convince Marcel to do some bodywork and finish putting this truck on the ground, then we might actually get somewhere. Stay tuned and see if we can't pry some body-drop pics out of this project.